Olive oil was essential in the daily life of the Romans, who used it not only in cooking but also as fuel for lighting and as an ointment in public baths!
This valuable product fueled an entire industry of production, trade, and transport, revolutionizing the economy of ancient Rome. Introduced by the Phoenicians and Greeks, olive oil production was developed on a large scale by the Romans, making it a staple food for all social classes.
It was produced in villae, rural estates where grains and wine were also cultivated. After harvesting, the olives were stored in the tabulatum, a room with a waterproof and slanted floor to collect the alpechín, a dark and intense liquid used as a natural pesticide 
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Subsequently, the olives were ground in the trapetum, a large mill that transformed the harvest into a paste ready for pressing. This paste was then processed in the torcularium, where a press applied great pressure, extracting the oil which was finally collected in large ceramic jars called dolia.
The best oil, oleum omphacium, was produced from green olives in September, with Hispania becoming one of the main exporters of quality oil throughout the empire.

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